A Time Of Many Surprises
by PeetoLover90
Summary: Gale, Peeta and Katniss have been best friends for years now and the odds have been in their favor for a while but now things have changed because of The 74th Hunger Games. Who will be reaped? What will happen to these three? Who knows what the future holds! Hunger Games AU. Starts out as Peeta/Gale but will a sexy brute named Cato break that up? Who knows! Rated M. Review please!


A/N: So this is my second Cato/Peeta fic but its starting out Gale/Peeta but don't worry, Cato will come along soon. Please Review!

Chapter 1: The Greatest Year of My Life

"District 12; where you can starve in peace," that's what my best friend since we were 11, Katniss Everdeen, says whilst we are hunting in the woods with my other best friend and boyfriend, Gale Hawthorne. She has said it many times and in all honesty it's quite true. District 12 is so, pathetic and run down and just dirty. But it's my home. And the people I love are all here and that's what makes it bearable even on day like today, Reaping Day. Of course my life wasn't always that bearable and neither were those of Katniss and Gale.

My mind races back to the day Kat and I became best friends. It all really started on a terribly rainy day and mother was being even more of a bitch than usual. She heard a rustling from the back and ran to go check it out and then I hear her disgusting yelling, "GO AWAY YOU SEAM FILFTH! GET OUT! OUT!" Her words make me sick so I run back outside to see who she is yelling at and I see it's a girl in my class, Katniss Everdeen! I remember her father died a couple months ago in a terrible mining accident. I knew things were going from bad to worse every day at her house since it happened, as she would appear thinner and thinner as the days went by. I barely knew her and I once thought I had a crush on her but then at age 10, I started noticing this boy, Gale Hawthorne more and more until I realized I liked guys and was so gay. Before I could say something, mother slammed the door and told me to go check on the bread. Then I realized how I could help, but it required burning the bread which meant pissing off mother. I knew she would tell me to feed it to the pigs but instead I would give it to Katniss. So she could live because I feared she would die soon, especially in this weather. So I waited a couple extra minutes and sure enough the bread was burned on the bottom and then my mother yelled at me as she smelled the black bottomed bread burning, Before I knew it, she hit me and shouted for me to take the bread outside and feed it to the pigs.

Cupping my left cheek where she hit me, really hard this time with a rolling pin. I held back the tears and ran outside, shutting the door behind me. Thankfully Katniss was still there and she looked at me sad Seam eyes and I quickly threw the bread her way and I saw her take it and begun to head home before I shut the door. I only could hope that would save her and her family for some time. The next day at school as I was surrounded by my friends I noticed Katniss looking from across the schoolyard and then she approached me, but not before seeing a dandelion and picking it up. She pulled me aside from my friends and said, "Thank you for the bread Peeta, it means a lot. I see what your mom did. I'm sorry you went through all that to help me out." I saw some pain in her eyes and I decided that she needed a friend, "It's really no problem Katniss! I'm your friend and I'll always be there for you!" and with that I gave her my best smile and surprisingly she gave me the first smile I've seen out of her since before her father died. And from that day on, we became friends.

That same day, Katniss gushed out to me about how she was going to feed her family. I had on an expression of pure shock. Hunting beyond the fence that protects us! Was she crazy? Well I was beginning to think so and sadly, we had just become friends. She quickly made sure to convince it was safe and then she made me come along. I was so scared I'm pretty sure I peed myself just a tad. But with Kat by my side I had nothing to fear and so our friendship quickly turned into us becoming best friends and hunting partners. I became stronger and more agile and when I told my father of my hunting with Katniss, at first he got upset and tried to get my mom to put an end to it but Kat helped in deciding it was for the greater good and my mother could care less about if I got caught so in the end my father made sure to make a deal of bread for squirrels. I learned how to use a bow and arrow but was much better with throwing knives and the sword I made. It took a lot of work but I made a sword that helped in killing a bear that attacked us once while we were picking berries that Katniss had memorized from her father's plant book to be safe and edible. Nothing ever got past that girl. Then one day, things changed drastically again.

We had both recently turned 12 and we had been hunting for almost a year now when we came upon a bunch of snares we had never seen before. We tried making some but we usually sucked terribly and almost always caught nothing. The ones we found had caught some rabbits and we looked at each other, unsure of what to do. Katniss grabbed a rabbit free from a snare and quickly examined it and then a deep voice said to us, "You know, stealing is illegal." Kat didn't let go of the rabbit and then quickly remarked back, "Well I'm pretty sure hunting is illegal too so it seems we are all in a jam here, now aren't we?" The voice laughed and to my shock, Gale Hawthorne stepped out from behind a tree with a smile on his face or maybe that was a smirk, I'm not sure even to this day. Soon we got to discussing game and possibly helping each other out. Even then Gale was so sweet and sexy. He looked very much like a man for being a mere 14 years old. I heard the girls whisper about him in the hallway and that made me jealous. It was weird how my crush was now my hunting partner also. Katniss, being the way she was, didn't trust Gale at first but she warmed up to him through my help and soon we were the 3 best friends and the best traders at the Hob.

One day, when Gale was sick and Prim and Katniss' mom was taking care of him, it was just me and Katniss hunting. As we were perched up in a tree waiting for our snares to catch something while we rest, Katniss asked me the most random question, "Peeta, are you gay?" I didn't know what to say. Was I that obvious? I nodded my head and actually blushed a light crimson. "No need to be embarrassed Peeta. I just wanted to know. Especially with the way I see you look at Gale." I blushed and even deeper shade of crimson and just covered my face in my hands to cover it. "It's okay Peeta Bread! I think he likes you too though!" At that comment I had perked up and nearly fell to the ground and started to get angry because I figured she was joking, "That's not funny Kat. I really like him." She started to frown and said, "But Peeta, I'm not joking. I see him look at you. I've caught him a few times and he always looks away and then blushes deeply before he recovers himself." The thought of Gale blushing because of me is so cute. But what if Kat is wrong? Well lucky me found out on my 15th birthday how right she was.

As time went by I noticed that Kat was right and he was checking me out. Well, she never said that but I caught it and then we would have this awkward eye contact and then both us would blush a deep crimson but then I noticed how quickly his blush went away but mine lingered and Katniss never said anything but I knew she saw our eye encounters. Out of the corner of my eye, I would see his lingering eyes travel to my firm ass. I always was told I had a nice ass by Kat which was kind of awkward but I got over it and it turns out I do since Gale seems to like it. In fact one day I noticed he had a boner from staring too much but he quickly said he was going to find some snares he set a while ago and forgot about to cover it up but I saw it and Katniss did too. And boy was it big. Katniss smirked at me because she knew why he was having a rager. Anyway, back to my 15th birthday.

My birthday and Kat's was a couple days apart and a couple months before the reaping. Gale was already 17 a month before I turned 15. On my birthday, Katniss was nowhere to be seen as I entered the woods and then as I sat on our rock spot where all 3 of us would sit and talk and Gale would rant about the Capitol. I sat down and nibbled on some bread when all the sudden I felt strong fingers that were most definitely Gale's touch my right hand as he sat rather close to me. I almost melted at his touch and a few weeks ago I had told him I was gay and after that he seemed to become brighter and more optimistic. Kat then had a smug look on her face 24/7 since she suspected why. But if that's why then why hadn't he made a move yet? I mean the signs were pointing to rainbow city lately since he turned down every girl that tried to get in Gale's pants. Gale then said, "Happy birthday Peeta Bread!" and out of nowhere kissed me on the cheek. I turned to him and gave him a look that said, 'um what was that about?' He looked a little hurt by the look I gave him and decided to say, "So was that kiss on the cheek my present?" I gave him a toothy smile and he smiled back. Oh those lips! I would love to kiss them. They just look so nice! Gale then put his hand in his pocket and quickly took out a locket in the shape of a mockingjay in a ring.

I asked, "What is that, Gale?" He handed it to me and said, "Open it and you'll see." So I opened it and found 3 pictures that I'm guessing had been taken at school. One was of me and Gale. I noticed how in the picture we both looked so happy and he had his arms wrapped around me in what looked a little more than friendly. The next was a smaller one of me and Katniss, giving the camera cold faces. I remember that because I agreed to her that for one day I would be as cold as ice to everyone with her and it was a pretty stupid dare. And the last one was of all 3 of us making silly faces at the camera. Oh I love my friends. I begin to tear up, but they are tears of happiness as this is the best gift I ever. I begin to say, "Gale…" but before I can continue, Gale is pressing his soft, sweet, gentle lips against mine and I try to move mine with his. The kiss is soft, aggressive and passionate all at once. It's my first kiss too but soon I need air and pull away. All I say is "Wow." Then it hits me like a bomb. Is Gale gay? Does he like me?

It's as if he's reading my mind when he says, "I know your mind must be racing now so, yes I'm gay and yes I really like you. When you told me you were gay a few weeks ago, I had a talk with Katniss about my feelings toward you and she didn't seem surprised I was gay and that I liked you." I chuckled at that and also thought, _wow that bitch knew! And she didn't say anything! What the fuck! _But I quickly forgave her because I bet she gave him this idea and it was the best thing ever. It was the best birthday I ever had. I spend the day in the woods with Gale that day and we share more kisses that seem to just ignite a fire in me. I see Katniss later on at The Hob waiting for us. She decided it was best to let us have our 'alone time' and take the day off. As we walked into The Hob, Gale held my hand and at first I was scared of what people would say but everyone was clearly happy, even the drunken victor of our district, Haymitch Abernathy, who buys liquor in the Hob said in a slur, "Oh finally, pretty boy and baker boy got together. Woo." Later that day we told our families together and Gale's family was so happy. Hazelle gave me a big kiss on the cheeks and welcomed me to being in the family even more than I was as his best friend. My family seemed indifferent especially my mother who didn't seem to bother even asking if I was happy (which I am) but she could have asked out of care.

And so began the best year of my life. Gale and I took things slow, only kissing and making out for a while but then we started doing more but we didn't have sex until his 18th birthday. It was the most magical day ever and it ended with us fucking like wild animals in his bed where I slept over that night as we cuddled after that. Gale was so good too. Katniss asked me about how good it was and of course I told her, she's my best friend. She just chuckled and laughed at how happy he made me because she said it seemed like I've been in such a daze for the past year. Our 1 year was even more magical with picnic in the cabin that Katniss showed us years ago and we spent the entire day and then night there. It was so magical and romantic. That's when he told me that we could all run away and start over. I was so shocked I just uttered a barely audible, "What…?" While playing with my hair as my head rested on his muscular chest he said, "You heard me Peeta, we'd bring Kat and we would just start over. Live off the land and not play the games of the Capitol." I frowned at the idea. It would never work. "We wouldn't make it, Gale. We would get caught and then what? Be turned into Avoxes? I'd rather not." He looked at me I could tell how reluctantly he said this. "You're right Peeta. I just, hate how sad this district is." I look at him with a knowing expressiong and look him in his gray eyes and say, "But we have each other. And Katniss. And you both have adoring families. One day we'll all be okay. I promise." He smiles and kisses me one last time before we drift off into sleep.

I suddenly realize we're all still in a tree. My best friends and I that is. Katniss has just said what she always says. And it's sadly true. Her phrase of 'District 12; where you can starve in peace' brings back all those memories to me as today is also a sad day. It's Reaping Day and we're going hunting before we have to get ready for it. I'm scared for not just myself but Katniss and Gale too. I care about them both so much. They have so many slips in the bowl and I even worry for Prim and Rory as it's their first time in the Reaping but I know Kat and Gale didn't let them take any tesserae. I had taken some tesserae over the years to help my best friends and when my family needed sometimes too. Anyway, today was never a day I looked forward to.

What if I lost it all by one or both of my best friends getting reaped? What if I got reaped? What if I got reaped and had to fight Katniss? I could never do it. So I just hope that today the odds are in my favor as they seem to have been for the last year.


End file.
